Salary: See Position Description
Location : Seattle, WA
Job Type: Full-Time Regular
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number:
Department: Planning
Division: Growth Management
Opening Date: 09/15/2026
Closing Date: 10/5/2026 9:00 AM Pacific

Description
Closes: The position is open until 9:00am PDT October 5, 2026.

Status: Regular Full-time Position, 40 hours per week; Exempt FLSA status.

Salary: The starting salary range is $140,000 - $150,000 annually, DOE, with full benefits including participation in Washington state Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS). The full salary range is $136,990 - $196,730 annually.

Location: Puget Sound Regional Council; Downtown Seattle, Washington; The position may be eligible for hybrid work (within the region).
Examples of Duties
THE POSITION:

PSRC is seeking a Program Manager to lead plan development of the region's growth management plan, VISION 2050, which is scheduled for completion in 2030. VISION 2050 is one of the most forward-thinking regional plans in the country. The update will require creative development of new growth strategies that advance regional goals and address critical issues related to housing affordability, transit-oriented development, environmental restoration, equity, and healthy communities. The position will need to work collaboratively with elected officials, local jurisdictions, state agencies, consultants, and Tribes, and across agency teams to develop, adopt and implement the region's growth strategy and state law. The position will work with the Director of Growth Management to implement the agency's growth management planning work program, such as the growth strategy, plan review and certification, housing, open space, and transit-oriented development. The position supports the agency's Growth Management Policy Board as the focus of growth management policy within the region.

Typical Qualifications
THE CANDIDATE:

The ideal Program Manager candidate will have the following knowledge and abilities:
Comprehensive Planning

• Extensive experience in leading comprehensive planning processes, including equitable engagement practices, policy analysis, and development of implementation strategies.
• Detailed knowledge of Washington's Growth Management Act, including an understanding of the role of local governments, regional agencies, and the state.
• Familiarity with growth management case law.
• Broad understanding of current issues in regional planning, including growth patterns, environmental issues, economic development, equity, and others.
• An understanding of the linkages between land use, transportation, economic development and environmental planning.

Leadership

• Demonstrated leadership and supervisory skills with the ability to support, mentor, and oversee the work of a team of professionals.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate and direct work and evaluate the performance of assigned project team members while providing opportunities for and encouraging professional growth.
• Demonstrated ability to develop program and project budgets, and ability to procure and manage consultants.

• Ability to work collaboratively across organizational teams and across disciplines in support of overall agency goals, objectives, policies, and priorities.
• Ability to assess and monitor workloads, and identify and implement opportunities for improvement.

• Ability to develop positive and successful working relationships with the general public, elected officials, planning professionals, and staff.
• Ability to support the decision making of a board of policymakers through technical and policy analysis.

Planning and Applied Analysis and Communication

• Present analysis and recommendations to committees, boards, and the public. Provide organizational assistance, research, and materials for committees and boards. Develop special reports as needed.
• Represent the agency at meetings and provide technical expertise on land use issues to the public and member agencies. Communicate the impact of specific plans to local agencies, community groups, businesses, and others. Coordinate special projects with local jurisdictions and other external partners.

• Remain current on public policy, planning strategies, legislation, and hearings board cases related to growth management, transportation, and economic planning and review literature concerning assigned planning areas.
• A clear understanding of federal and state metropolitan planning requirements is also desired.

Technical Skills

• Supervise and conduct complex technical research and analyses.
• Strong knowledge of and/or direct experience in interpreting and applying the results of land use analysis methods, including economic forecasting, land use allocation, and forecasting models
• Strong knowledge of best practices in housing, growth management, and transit-oriented development.
• Detailed knowledge of the Washington State Environmental Policy Act and its procedures, especially applying SEPA to planning processes.

Personnel / Team

• Ability to work effectively as part of a team and with technical committees to coordinate and accomplish regional planning studies.
• Highly developed verbal, listening, communication, and interpersonal skills. Ability to solicit and incorporate feedback.
• Excellent writing and communication skills.

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION:

Typical ways in which incumbents acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities include:

• Bachelor's degree in planning or related field; Master's degree preferred.
• Eight years of increasingly responsible experience in land use planning or regional planning.
• Three years of project lead experience or supervisory direction to other staff.
• Or any combination of lived and educational experience in a related field that would provide the applicant with the desired skills, knowledge, and ability required to perform the job.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

Supplemental Information
OTHER INFORMATION RELATED TO POSITION:

• This recruitment is for a newly created role and may be used to fill future openings for up to six (6) months.
• PSRC office hours are Monday - Friday from 8:00am - 5:00pm with work hours determined upon hired.

PSRC offers a highly-competitive compensation package that includes salary and benefits. Benefits represent approximately 30% of an employee's total compensation package. Benefits-eligible employees receive a wide range of benefits, including:
Health Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision

Income Protection

• Life Insurance
• Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D)
• Employer-paid participation in the Washington State Paid Family & Medical Leave Program
• Long-Term Disability (LTD)

Retirement Benefits

• Washington State Public Employees Retirement Systems (PERS) including employer contribution
• Employer-match 457 Plan

Paid Time Off and Leave

• Generous Personal Time Bank (PTB)/Vacation Pay
• Holiday Pay - 11 paid holidays per year plus 2 personal holidays
• Family Medical Leave
• Bereavement Leave
• Jury Duty Leave
• Military Leave

Life/Work Benefits

• Hybrid/Remote Work Available (within the region)
• Flexible Work Schedules
• Regional Transit Pass
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Health Savings Account (HSA) through one of the medical plans offered
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Wellness Program through the state of Washington SmartHealth Program
• Office building with complimentary use of the gym
• Training & Professional Certification support

01

Do you have a Bachelor's degree or higher in planning or a related field? Please briefly explain.
02

Do you have at least eight years of increasingly responsible experience in land use planning or regional planning? Please briefly explain.
03

Do you have at least three years of project lead experience or supervisory direction to other staff? Please briefly explain.
04

Do you have any combination of lived and educational experience in a related field that would provide you with the desired skills, knowledge, and ability required to perform the job? If yes, briefly explain.
Required Question